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A fishing dock on Cottage Grove's Hidden Valley Pond was closed this week after heavy rains the past two weeks submerged it. But public works director Les Burshten said Tuesday the dock would re-open shortly as water levels on the small pond near 70th Street and Hardwood Avenue continue to drop. Wide fluctuations in the water level of the pond make it difficult to know how high to raise the fixed dock, Burshten said.

A Mississippi River fishing pier would be an asset to Newport, and that pier should be placed at the end of Sixth Street, near Pioneer Park, a group of residents told Newport City Council members Thursday. But city councilwoman Pauline Schottmuller said the proposed pier has opened the homeowners adjacent to the site, including former mayor Kevin Chapdelaine, to undue liability as the city tries to absolve itself of legal responsibility at the river landing. The discussion came during an open forum on the controversial pier issue, put forward by mayor Tim Geraghty in April.

A measure that would have tightened Newport's ordinance that regulates home businesses stalled on Thursday, derailed by a city council split over the changes that would have brought the law in line with surrounding municipalities. The proposed changes would have, for the first time, specifically identified the types of small-scale commercial operations that are allowed to work out of Newport residences under the city's home occupation ordinance. But, with mayor Tim Geraghty absent, the council split on the vote, with council members Tom Ingemann and Pauline Schottmuller advocating for its pa

Cottage Grove police officers may have another tool to punish low-level moving violations this fall -- and it's one that may benefit drivers, too. Discussions of issuing fines instead of traditional traffic citations for minor traffic stops are ongoing in the department, officials said, and public safety director Craig Woolery said he might formally propose the plan to the city council this fall. Administrative citations are valuable to both public safety and motorists, Woolery said.

A measure that would have tightened Newport's ordinance that regulates home businesses stalled on Thursday, derailed by a city council split over the changes that would have brought the law in-line with surrounding municipalities. The proposed changes would have, for the first time, specifically identified the types of small-scale commercial operations that are allowed to work out of Newport residences under the city's home occupation ordinance. But, with mayor Tim Geraghty absent, the council split on the vote, with council members Tom Ingemann and Pauline Schottmuller advocating for its pa

The Cottage Grove Parks Commission is beginning work on completing a master plan for each of the city's parks and officials are seeking public input on how those green spaces can be improved. Senior planner John Burbank said the commission's effort is meant to set a long-term vision for each park. "You can't just put things in the parks without a long-term plan," he said. The city is soliciting public input on what residents would like to see in the master plans for each of the city's parks. Suggestions can be made to Burbank at (651) 459-2825, or e-mail at jburbank@cottage-grove.org .

A Mississippi River fishing pier at the end of Newport's Sixth Street being pushed for by the city's mayor would likely meet resistance from the river shipping industry because of its location directly next to the navigation channel, said a U.S.

For years, with a baseball game on the TV and her husband Dick nearby, Rosemary Graf has sat and crocheted -- the intricate craft of pulling loops of yarn through other loops of yarn with a hooked needle, slowly but surely creating patterned works of delicate art. The 76-year-old St. Paul Park woman has been doing it for more than 50 years, counting off small chains of yarn and filling up her Aurora Avenue home with hundreds of crocheted pieces of work, from Christmas decorations to shawls to doilies. After years of practice, she figured, her stuff was good. But just how good?

Residents in Cottage Grove, Newport and St. Paul Park gathered Tuesday night in driveways, churches and city parks to celebrate Night to Unite and National Night Out. The yearly event is intended to build strong communities and fight crime by introducing neighbors to each other and local public safety officials. Newport revived its celebration after a year's absence with a get-together at Newport Lutheran Church, St.

After a year's absence, Newport's Night to Unite celebration is back Tuesday night, rejoining Cottage Grove and St. Paul Park's popular gatherings intended to increase interaction between neighbors. Volunteer Emily White said she vowed to revive the early August event at Newport Lutheran Church. "The premise is the same: To get friends and neighbors together making the community safer by getting to know each other," she said. Newport's event will go from 6:30 to 8 p.m.